New research from Finland has added even more evidence to what a lot of doctors, nutritionists, and fitness experts have known for a long time. According to a population-based study of more than 4,000 people, eating five meals a day helps fight obesity, even in those with a genetic predisposition for obesity. The meals were breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. The information use in the study was collected starting in utero and continued until the age of 16.
According to Science Daily: “A regular five-meal pattern was associated with a reduced risk of being overweight and obese in both sexes and with a reduced risk of abdominal obesity in boys. Moreover, the regular five-meal pattern attenuated the BMI-increasing effect of the common genetic variants. Conversely, skipping breakfast was associated with greater BMI and waist circumference.”
Also, the weight and health of a child’s parents matters a lot. If either the mother or father is obese before pregnancy, it was a clear risk factor for the child to be obese during adolescence. If both parents had a BMI of 25 or more throughout the 16 years of the study, the risk of obesity of the child was much greater.
BMI is Body Mass Index and is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. “Normal” BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, underweight is <18.5, overweight is 25 to 29.9, and obese is >30. There has been quite a bit of controversy over the use of BMI because it may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have muscular builds and it may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass.
What Mothers do that Increases the Rate of Bipolar Disorder in Their Children…
Smoking during pregnancy is known to contribute to significant problems in utero and following birth, including low birth weight and attention difficulties. Now, a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry finds, “After adjusting for potential confounders, offspring exposed to in utero maternal smoking exhibited a twofold greater risk for bipolar disorder… Prenatal tobacco exposure may be one suspected cause of bipolar disorder.” Like almost all studies, the researchers report that more research needs to be done to rule out other factors. But, no one needs more research to know that smoking is bad for you and your children both before and after they are born.
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